Help us measure what works
Allow analytics and link this visit to your OMNI bookings, guide requests and later sales? Your forms work either way. Privacy policy
The Complete Guide To Choosing The Right Flooring
How to compare luxury vinyl, tile, hardwood, carpet, laminate, and waterproof flooring — including installation, costs, and the most common mistakes — before you remodel.
By The Design Gallery · Odessa, Midland & West Texas · Serving homeowners since 1988
Before You Choose New Floors, Read This First
New flooring can completely change the way your home feels. It can make an older home feel fresh again, a busy home easier to clean, and spaces that have felt worn out or unfinished for years finally feel right.
But flooring can also be one of the easiest remodeling decisions to get wrong — not because homeowners are careless, but because there are too many options, too many claims, too many samples, too many price points, and too many opinions.
That is why we created this guide. Our goal is simple: help you understand your options, avoid common mistakes, and choose flooring that fits the way you actually live.
At The Design Gallery, we do not believe the best flooring decision starts with a product rack.
It starts with your home, your rooms, your family, your pets, your budget, your design style, and your everyday life. Once those pieces are clear, the right flooring choice becomes much easier.
The Biggest Flooring Mistake Is Choosing A Product Before Choosing A Plan
Most homeowners start flooring shopping by looking at samples. They walk into a store, see colors, touch surfaces, compare prices, and find something they like. That feels logical — but it is usually not the best place to start.
A flooring sample cannot tell you how the floor will perform with your dogs, how it will look across 900 square feet, whether it belongs in a bathroom, or whether the quote includes removal, prep, transitions, stairs, furniture, trim, or hidden conditions.
A good flooring plan answers:
7 Questions Every Homeowner Should Answer Before Choosing Flooring
What rooms are we flooring?
Bathrooms, kitchens, bedrooms, living rooms, stairs, laundry rooms, and entries all have different needs.
What does each room need to handle?
Think about water, pets, kids, traffic, furniture, sunlight, dust, cooking, cleaning, and daily use.
Do we want comfort, durability, waterproof performance, natural beauty, or design impact most?
Every flooring category prioritizes different strengths.
Are we creating one continuous look or choosing the best floor by room?
Whole-home flooring can look beautiful, but some rooms may require different materials.
What is under the current flooring?
Subfloor conditions, old adhesive, tile, slab issues, moisture, height differences, and transitions can all affect the project.
What does the quote include?
Material alone is not the project. Removal, prep, pad, underlayment, trim, transitions, furniture, disposal, stairs, and installation all matter.
What will we still love living with years from now?
The right floor should make sense on day one and years later.
A Simple Guide To The Major Flooring Categories
There is no perfect floor for every room. Each category solves a different problem. Most homes need the right flooring plan, not one "best" product.
Luxury Vinyl
Practical confidence for busy homes
BEST FOR
Pets, kitchens, whole-home updates
WATCH OUT FOR
Cheap wear layers, poor subfloor prep
Tile
Design confidence & wet-area strength
BEST FOR
Bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms
WATCH OUT FOR
Poor installation, bad grout choices
Hardwood
Natural beauty & long-term character
BEST FOR
Living rooms, dining rooms, bedrooms
WATCH OUT FOR
Moisture-prone rooms, large dogs
Carpet
Comfort, warmth & livability
BEST FOR
Bedrooms, stairs, media rooms
WATCH OUT FOR
Kitchens, bathrooms, pet odor concerns
Laminate
Modern wood looks & smart value
BEST FOR
Scratch resistance, budget updates
WATCH OUT FOR
Moisture-prone areas, bathrooms
Waterproof
Peace of mind for spills & real life
BEST FOR
Pets, entries, laundry rooms
WATCH OUT FOR
Overstated claims, subfloor edge details
What Flooring Works Best In Each Room?
Most homes do not need the same floor everywhere. A better plan looks at each room individually.
Best Flooring For Pets, Kids & Busy West Texas Homes
If your home is busy, your flooring needs to be chosen honestly. Pets, kids, traffic, chairs, toys, dust, grit, water bowls, spills, and daily cleaning all affect how a floor performs.
Remember: No floor is pet-proof, kid-proof, scratch-proof, or life-proof. The goal is to choose the floor that best fits your household and expectations.
The Flooring You Choose Should Fit The Whole Home
Flooring is one of the largest design surfaces in your home. The color, texture, plank size, pattern, grout, finish, and undertone all matter. A flooring sample may look beautiful by itself and still be wrong for your home — it needs to work with your cabinets, countertops, paint colors, furniture, lighting, trim, and existing finishes.
Common Design Mistakes
Going Too Gray
Gray floors can feel cold or dated if they do not fit the rest of the home.
Going Too Busy
Heavy grain, rustic patterns, or strong variation can overwhelm a room.
Ignoring Undertones
Flooring may clash with cabinets, paint, or countertops if undertones fight each other.
Choosing From A Sample
A sample does not always show pattern repetition, plank variation, or full-room effect.
Forgetting Transitions
New flooring must connect visually and physically with existing floors.
Not Thinking Long-Term
Trendy flooring may feel dated faster than warmer, more flexible choices.
The Design Gallery works across flooring, tile, countertops, cabinetry, and paint.
That means we can help you choose flooring that fits the whole home — not just the floor.
A Great Floor Can Still Fail If It Is Installed Wrong
Flooring success depends on more than the product. Subfloor prep, layout, transitions, underlayment, setting materials, carpet pad, expansion gaps, grout, and furniture planning all matter. A beautiful product installed poorly can become a daily frustration.
Installation issues to watch:
Installed right matters as much as selected right.
Why One Flooring Quote May Look Cheaper Than Another
Two quotes may look like they are for the same project, but one may include removal, subfloor prep, furniture moving, transitions, trim, and better materials — while another leaves all of those vague or charges for them later. Before comparing quotes, ask these questions:
The Design Gallery believes homeowners deserve simple, honest, all-in pricing — with hidden conditions handled honestly if they are discovered after removal.
What Does New Flooring Really Cost?
Flooring cost depends on far more than the price of the material. The total installed cost may include:
Because flooring pricing changes based on product type, quality, room layout, removal, subfloor preparation, transitions, stairs, furniture, installation requirements, and hidden conditions — the best way to get accurate pricing is to schedule a Design & Planning Session or visit one of our showrooms.
The cheapest flooring quote is not always the lowest-cost decision if it leads to disappointment, change orders, poor installation, or early replacement.
How To Think About Financing & Timing
Financing Options
Financing can make it possible to choose the right product and installation instead of settling for the cheapest option. It can also help you complete a larger connected project at one time.
12-month 0% financing may be available for qualified buyers.
60-month 9.99% financing may be available for qualified buyers.
Project Timing
Flooring project timing depends on product availability, measurement, quote approval, material ordering, acclimation requirements when applicable, demolition, subfloor conditions, installation complexity, and scheduling. A good plan reduces surprises.
A Better Way To Choose Flooring
You should not have to figure out flooring alone. Our process is built to help you move from overwhelm to clarity.
Design & Planning Session
We talk through your rooms, goals, lifestyle, pets, kids, moisture concerns, design style, and budget.
Compare Flooring Categories
We help you compare luxury vinyl, tile, hardwood, carpet, laminate, waterproof flooring, and other options honestly.
Narrow The Right Products
We help you choose colors, textures, performance levels, pad, underlayment, grout, transitions, and details.
Measure & Plan The Scope
We measure, review installation conditions, and plan the project details so there are fewer surprises.
Clear Installed Pricing
We provide clear pricing so you understand what is included before work begins.
Professional Installation
Our team manages the installation details so the project is done correctly, from subfloor to finish.
Final Review
We review the finished project and stand behind our work with our Triple Guarantee.
Confidence From Selection To Installation
Installed Right — Lifetime
If we install it, we stand behind the installation for life. Our commitment does not end at the invoice.
Love It Or We'll Replace It
If you do not love the product you selected, we will help you replace it under the terms of our guarantee.
Simple, Honest, All-In Pricing
We believe homeowners deserve clear pricing before work begins, with hidden conditions addressed honestly if discovered.
Your Flooring Buying Checklist
Before you choose flooring, make sure you can answer each of these questions. Tap each item to mark it complete.
If you cannot answer every question yet, that is normal. That is exactly what your Design & Planning Session is for.
Ready To Choose Flooring With Confidence?
New flooring should make your home feel better. Not more confusing. Not more stressful. Not full of surprises.
The right floor can help you love your home again — but the right decision starts with the right guidance.
Odessa Showroom
301 North Grant, Odessa TX 79761
(432) 334-0418
Midland Showroom
4425 W Wadley Suite 250, Midland TX 79707
(432) 231-0809